Ruthlessly in Love
by Dbztron2
Summary: Judy gets hurt and only feels safe around predators. Nick takes it upon himself to help her get better and protect her.
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't totally unheard of for non-predators to be aggressive, even in modern times. It was rare, but there were still cases of rhinos charging angrily at other animals, rams head-butts putting someone in the hospital, and even rabbits biting other rabbits.

Nick Wilde knew all to well from childhood experience how ruthless some of the supposedly less violent animals could be, and he hoped no one would ever have to experience that same pain or even anything close to it. When he became a cop, became partners with the little bunny known as Judy Hopps around the time of the Nighthowler incident, he made a promise that he would protect those he cared about and everyone around him from the pain and humiliation he had known as a child and even in adulthood. Predator and Prey would get along without fear of each other if he had any say in it.

And yet, it was during one of those rare non-predator attacks that Judy was hurt and he couldn't do a thing to stop it.

He had taken a week off work to visit his mother when he got the call. Judy had been sent under cover and was caught. She had been held for two days and abused to the point where she would only let predators near her.

In a sick way he was relieved she felt safe near him still, yet when he saw her panic the first time a non-predator came to visit her in the hospital he nearly cried. She couldn't even go near her own parents or siblings without hyperventilating. It was just so… Wrong.

It wasn't fair, how could this have happened to his sweet little bunny. His tough little bunny that put everything on the line to become a cop, then again to make him her partner. The bunny who saved Zootopia. His partner… Damn it! She was his partner and he wasn't there to protect her!  
So he did what he could to help her recover. Anyone who scared her enough to make her cry was reminded very clearly that he was a predator, and he was going to protect what he deemed precious. And for him there was nothing and no one more precious than Judy.

When he got back to work he got the file on the case she had been sent on, and he let out such an awful growl they actually sent him home for the day. She had been muzzled. Muzzled and strung up above a pit of rabid animals that had it not been for the rabies would have been otherwise completely harmless. She wouldn't even have been able to scream with as tight as the muzzle was.

If he ever found the people who did this to her, god have mercy on their souls.

He made a new promise to himself then, Judy came first, above all else. He would protect her with his life if it came down to it. Anything she wanted or needed she would have.

Because she was precious to him, and he loved her. He loved her more than anything else and so he would be her protector even when she denied needing it months after being released from the hospital.

She would never feel the ruthless bite of a muzzle against her face again. She would be safe so long as he was at her side.

It pained him every time he saw her flinch at the sight of another rabbit or sheep or duck. And his heart shattered whenever she would cry at night. But he always felt a warmth inside him when she chose him to talk to, came to him to chase away the nightmares and make her feel better.

He wished he could have pieced together their true feeling for each other another way, that she could have been spared this fear and pain and grief. But he couldn't rewrite the past, so he would have to settle for making a brighter future out of their love.

 **Okay so I saw the movie last weekend. I loved it so much I really wanted to write something for it but kept scraping ideas. So I wrote this in like twenty minutes and decided to put it up before I lost my nerve, and hopefully I can do something better later on. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I would love to hear what you think in a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

The bright lights stung his eyes when he came barreling through the hospital doors that midnight. His paws slid across the too clean floors to the point he probably looked like a deranged ice-skater, it didn't help his fur was matted all over from a combination of rain and him running his paws through it in worry.

He had gotten the call twelve hours ago, the call lasted all of ten minutes, then it took him another two hours find a bus that would take him to this end of the city. What the hell were they thinking? Sending her on such a dangerous mission without him?

Sliding up to the front desk and putting his front paws out to lessen the blow, he looks the cat sitting at the computer in the eye.

"Where is she?" He asks breathlessly, "Where's Judy Hopps? My partner."

She smiles a smile that shouldn't exist right now as she turns to her computer, giving him an overly sweet "Let's just find out, hun." that leaves his eye twitching.

Behind him he hears the heels of an officer's footwraps.

"Nick." It's one of the cougars, "Come over here and wait with us, she's still in with the doctor."

Turning sharply he sees a waiting area with about ten or so officers waiting anxiously, probably for news on Judy.

The cougar he recognizes as officer Jan Red, the same officer who had called him earlier. He lets the large cat lead him over to the waiting area, looking at him hoping for more answers.

"What happened?" He asks.

"It was an undercover thing only she could carry out. She got caught. They messed her up pretty bad, and I only know that because I was the one who found her. Nobody higher up is talking, so all of us here are in the dark until a doctor can tell us more." Jan tells him.

Nick slumps down in a seat, looking left and right to see who else is waiting for his partner.

Who else cared.

Four wolves, a poodle, an elephant, two cheetahs, a bull, and a brown bear.

He turns his head back to Jan.

"How long has she been in there?"

Jan looks at the clock, "Six hours. There were more of us here waiting, but the higher ups wanted reports right away, so a couple of the wolves had to leave. And I sent home a few who hadn't slept in the past twenty-four hours, since any of us even knew this case existed, so they could rest. After all we don't want to worry Judy any more than she already is after what happened to her." Jan gives him a pointed look and he sighs.

"I'm going to the restroom to clean up, but I won't leave until I know she's okay." With that said he stands and walks away, not allowing a single other soul see him cry.

Though he's sure they all hear him even after the door is shut.

* * *

 **Okay, short I know. But you've all asked I continue this story so much I decided to throw something together.**

 **Updates will probably be slow due to the fact I am very busy in every day life and do have other on-going stories to work on. Not to mention I'm a bit more use to one-shots and have several more one-shot planned out.**

 **Anyway, hopefully this is what you were all looking for. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
